Page 140 of Serpent and Shadow

They lifted me up, and I felt my muscles go entirely limp in relief. I sucked in a breath when one of them, Luc, I think, accidentally bumped my hurt arm. Tears instantly stung my eyes while I bit my tongue, trying not to scream.

A minute or so later, I was being carefully placed on top of something soft and giving. I found myself looking up at a ceiling that was achingly familiar.

Of course. They’d brought me into my old room. I’d never thought to ask if they ever got a new roommate to replace me.

Apparently they hadn’t.

I could have cried at the sheer relief of lying down somewhere safe.

My arm still felt like it was on fire. There was definitely something wrong with my hand and wrist. My head pounded like it was being hit with an iron mallet, and my chest and ribs hurt so badly every breath felt like being cut open with a nine-inch blade. My good hand was twitching, still sparking with electricity, and one of my feet and legs. I couldn’t control my face, or my heart rate, which still felt on the verge of a heart attack.

I still thought I might die, but I felt so relieved, tears began running down my face.

That was even before Jolie and Luc began murmuring incantations over me, performing mudras that went with the healing and pain-relief spells. Nyx murmured her own series of spells in the second round, until I couldn’t pull their voices or the subtle sensations apart.

I felt their combined magic seeping into and warming my skin, and gradually unclenching my muscles. Even my bones hurt, but everything they were doing was slowly, very slowly, making me feel better.

“She’s got at least two broken ribs,” Jolie muttered, her hand passing over my chest. “Someone kicked her, hard. Her left wrist appears to be broken, too, and her shoulder is out of the socket. But the worst damage is from the spells.”

“L-l-lightning,” I stammered with an effort. “T-th-three of them.” I fought to think. “Maybe f-f-four. F-f-five?”

I realized I’d lost count. I wasn’t sure how many it had been.

My teeth, tongue, and lips were numb.

I wasn’t cold, but my teeth were chattering.

I don’t think I fully realized until then, just how much effort it had taken me to get to their door. I struggled to breathe now, fighting to relax. Some part of me was still sparking and twitching in pure survival mode. Now that I wasn’t actively using all my remaining strength to keep my muscles and legs moving, the emotional kickback was intense.

Everything Jolie and the others were doing helped tremendously, of course. It made me wonder if that dark, quiet presence had been with me as I crawled up the hill and into Valarian, then all the way up the back staircase to my old floor.

It seemed impossible I could have made it on my own.

I’d managed to make myself invisible before I crawled up that hill, after making sure I could navigate with my magic, using the Aether space. It was a bit like having on infrared glasses, and I’d struggled to get into the back of Valarian without running into anyone, and struggled even more to get up the stairs, hiding against the wall a few times.

I’d made myself do it anyway.

I was genuinely afraid I’d be arrested for murder.

Don’t worry about that now. The familiar voice rose in my mind, shocking me, then making my eyes burn, my throat close. I reached for him without thought, and his magic wound into mine. Close your eyes, he murmured, and I saw his light hand wrapped around mind. Try to relax. Don’t strain your heart any more than it is.

I did close my eyes, but my mind couldn’t relax.

“Hold it there,” Jolie said, her voice distracted.

Luc held my arm up, and I hissed in a breath, clenching my jaw.

Ignore it, the voice in my head murmured. Focus on me.

I tried to, but it was almost impossible.

I let out a scream when the joint slid back into the socket, and I felt Luc’s hands shaking.

“I’m sorry,” he said, smoothing my hair back from my face. He kissed my forehead and stroked my hair again. “I’m so sorry, Leda.”

I couldn’t answer him, but just lay there gasping while Jolie murmured more incantations over my shoulder and arm.

I’d killed them.